Naked Giants

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8PM – Doors
9PM – Show

NAKED GIANTS

When Naked Giants formed in 2014, the Seattle trio—vocalist/guitarist Grant Mullen, bassist/vocalist Gianni Aiello and drummer Henry LaVallee—were all eighteen years old, and full of the reckless, restless energy of youth. A decade on, both they and the world have changed immensely. Shine Away—the band’s third full-length, following on from 2018’s SLUFF and 2020’s The Shadow—is very much an acknowledgement of that. It’s an album that doesn’t just reflect on the personal life and times of the three of them and the world at large, but casts a discerning, self-reflective eye on what it’s like to be in, and be, Naked Giants. It’s the sound of a band coming into, and becoming, themselves. Of course, that’s a never-ending process, but for the first time in their career, Naked Giants are taking stock of their journey—who and what they were, are, and want to be.  

“Our first record was still running on fuel from starting the band as 18 year olds with a rock’n’roll dream,” says Mullen. “Since then, life has changed. We all got day jobs or went back to school, and really grew into ourselves individually.  Before, we were anxious to express ourselves in whatever way we could through music. Now, we have more to say, and I think we’ve made a record with more meaning and purpose.”

Despite these personal changes Shine Away contains the same sense of impetuous urgency that defined SLUFF. and the band’s preceding 2016 debut EP, R.I.P., and was still to be found within the fabric of The Shadow’s songs, too. So while the band might be removed from their younger selves, there are still traces of those people in these nine songs.

GIRL AND GIRL

Sub Pop’s latest signing is Girl and Girl: lead singer/songwriter Kai James and his Aunty Liss (Melissa James) on drums, supported by Jayden Williams on guitar and Fraser Bell on bass. The four-piece garage rock outfit from Queensland has a kinship that shines through in their music and in their electric live shows – Kai’s magnetism backed by Liss’ 37 years of drumming experience. With infectious hooks and surprising emotional intensity, Girl and Girl is an undeniably good time.

Named as one of the TheMusic.com.au‘s ‘Top 25 Rising Acts of 2021’, Girl and Girl won the inaugural Gold Coast Music Prize in 2022. The band supported Dry Cleaning on a national tour of Australia before embarking on a debut European Tour including showcase performances at The Great Escape, support dates with Blondshell and an appearance at London’s uber hip Wide Awake Festival.

In 2023, the band announced their signing to Sub Pop and reissued their Divorce EP, making their debut in their Top 100 of the US College Radio Charts and winning early fans at Brooklyn Vegan, DIY Magazine and BBC6 Music. At home in Australia, the Divorce EP was 4ZZZ’s Album of the Week and made the RRR Soundscape, receiving heavy airplay from community radio stations across Australia. Following appearances at Wave Rock, Yours and Owls Festival and SXSW Sydney, Girl and Girl returned to Europe late in 2023 for appearances at Pitchfork Paris, Rolling Stone Beach, London Calling, and support slots with Water From Your Eyes, and announced their US debut at SXSW 2024.

Girl and Girl’s first album, recorded in Melbourne with Burke Reid (Courtney Barnett, Julia Jacklin, The Drones) is coming very soon.